Plot
A sleepy town, Sittaford is witnessing peak winter season. There is a gathering of some common friends around a table for a seance. To the horror of some and thrill of others, spirits do come and answer their playful queries. Things turn nasty when suddenly a spirit announces that a certain Captain Trevalyn (their landlord in a sense) would be murdered shortly. Captain Trevalyn, has a few relatives and fewer friends. He is a bachelor and a rather difficult customer. He has amassed a lot of money but is loathe to share it with his relatives and friends. As forewarned by the spirit, he is indeed murdered in his house. The blood relatives are actually quite relieved by the death of Captain Trevalyn and begin to plan for their cosy life ahead. The investigating inspector believes that the murder was for his money.
A nephew of his who was visiting him on the fateful day has been arrested on suspicion, but his fiancee is determined to rescue him.
Discussion
The novel is not a usual mystery tale by Agatha Christie. Most of us are aware that she had also written a number of romantic novels under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott. In a number of her crime novels, the romantic element comes to forth and the distinct bias of the author towards the romantic endings streams through. One such example is this novel.
Make no mistake with the mystery word; it is a romantic novel all right. The fiancee of the suspect uses her charm and tact to get to the bottom of the affair. The ruthlessness and determined pursuit of a lady to get to the truth to exonerate her lover seems to be a bollywood formula in reverse but interests the reader. One can sense a autobiographical touch in the portrayal of character of this lady. She is essentially feminine and can “cry her heart out”, when she feels like it. But she can also use her considerable charm on an unsuspecting male to accomplish her final goal without a second thought.
Coming to the mystery part, the beauty of the novel lies in the creation of suspense regarding a certain family The Willets . As one reads through the novel, almost entire attention is riveted on them and one cannot help feeling that something is definitely wrong with this gang.
This novel in a sense is quite deceptive. In its slightly slow pace coupled with romantic touch, one journeys rather cosily and tends to miss out some important hints that the author drops here and there. In fact this novel is one of those in which you will definitely want to read once more to know, which points were missed; and once the murderer is known, one really cannot help but admire the ingenuity of this master detective writer.
No comments:
Post a Comment